Bus crash in Ivory Coast kills 24 people, ministry says

A bus went off a bridge in western Ivory Coast on Monday and fell into the Bafing river, killing 24 people, the transport ministry said.

The bus was travelling from the northern town of Odienne to Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast’s political capital. The AFP report gave conflicting injury figures: it first said 26 people were injured, while a quoted ministry statement said the provisional toll was 24 dead and 36 injured among 69 people on board, including the crew.

The ministry said rescue teams were working to find missing victims.

Deadly road crashes are common in Ivory Coast, especially because of the poor condition of some roads and vehicles, according to the source. In July last year, 16 people were killed and 51 injured in a collision between a truck and a bus in the north of the country. The transport ministry says between 1,000 and 1,500 people are killed on average each year on Ivorian roads.